herte he bar a cruel Ire redy to do vengeance vpon his foos . and
sodeynly desirede þat þe werre schulde bygyōne .
but natheles ȝit axed
he her counseil in þis matier
45
¶ A Sirurgien by licens and assent
of suche as were wyse vp ros and to melibeus sayde as ȝe may
hiere
¶ Sire quod he as to vs Sirurgiens appertieneth þat we
do to euery wight þe beste þat we can wher as we ben wt holde
and to oure pacient þat we do no damage
¶ wherfore it happeþ
many tyme and ofte þat whan tweye han euerich wounded oþer ;
oo . same surgien heleþ hem boþe .
where vnto oure art it is not
perteyned to norische werre ne parties to supporte ;
but certes
as to warisching of ȝoure douȝt er al be it so þat sche perilously be
woundid ; we schullen do so tentyf besynes fro day to nigħt þat
with þe grace of god sche schal be hool and sound als soone as
it is possible
50
¶ Almost right in þe same wise þe phisiciens an-
swerden ; saue þat þay sayden a fewe wordes more
¶ That
ryght as maladies ben cured by her contraries ; Right so schal
man warissch werre by vengeaunce
¶ his neyheboures ful of en-
uye his feyned freendes þat semede recounsiled his flatereres
maden semblaūt of wepyng and appaired and aggregged moche
of þis matiere in preisyng gretly melibe of might . of power of
Riches . and of frendes despisinge þe power of his aduersaries
and sayden outerly þat he anoon schulde wreke hī on his aduersa-
ries he bygȳnynge of werre
55
¶ up roos þāne an aduocate þt was
wys by leue and by counseil of oþere þt were wise and sayde /
¶ lordynges . þe needes for whiche we ben assemblit in þis place
is ful heuy þing and an heigħ matier
by cause of þe wrong &
of þe wikkednes þat haþ ben doon and eek of þe grete dama-
ges þt in tyme comyng ben possible to falle for þe same
and
eek by cause of þe grete richesse and power of þe partes bothe
For þe whiche resoūs it were a ful gret peril to erren in these
materes
60
¶ wherfore melibeus þis is oure sentence ¶ we coun-
seile ȝow abouen aƚƚ þīges þat riȝt anoon þou do diligence in
kepyng of þy body in such a wyse þat þou ne wante noon espye
ne wacche þy body for to saue
¶ And aft er þat we counseile þt
in þin hous þou sette sufficaūt garnisoū So þat þay may as wel
þy body as þin hous defende
¶ But certes for to moeue werr
ne sodeynly for to doo vengeance ; we may not deme in so li-
tel tyme þat it were profitable
¶ wherfore we axen leysir
and a space in þis caas to demen